How to Identify High Quality Carbon Fiber Sheets

Posted
on
October 14, 2014

So you’re in the market for carbon fiber sheets. Maybe you like the way
it looks, or you’ve got a project that requires a material that’s
strong and lightweight. You’ve looked online and seen the websites
selling carbon fiber sheets and you’re ready to pull the trigger.
Carbon’s not cheap, so once you’ve made the purchase, how will you know
if you got your money’s worth and received a good quality product?

Here’s what to look for:

It should lie absolutely flat on a surface.No waves, warping, bends, or creases. Flat!

The surface should be as smooth as glass.Sheets with a gloss finish should have a completely smooth, level surface – no bumps, ridges, or fabric indentations.

You shouldn’t see any scratches. Not even a little one. No nicks or marred edges either. The standard you should expect for your purchase is “perfect”.

You shouldn't see pinholes.If you reflect light off
the surface of a gloss finish and you see tiny imperfections as if it
were poked by a pin, you’re looking at “pinholes”. They’re caused when
gas bubbles are trapped during the production process. One of our
competitors states on their website that pinholes are a normal part of
carbon fiber sheets that have “optimal resin content.” We strongly
disagree – you should
neversee pinholes in a top quality carbon fiber sheet.

The backside of the sheet should be slightly textured and flat.There
should be no rough spots or clumps from excess resin. These will create
visible irregularities when adhering the sheet to another surface.

The dimensions should be correct.Cutting tolerances should be no more than ± .125 inch. In other words, your sheet should be within 1/8” of stated dimensions.

If you order a carbon fiber sheet online and it has any of the problems
above, consider returning it to the company. By doing so, you hold
manufacturers to a higher standard and you’ll get the high quality
carbon fiber sheet you’ve paid for!